Uh Oh! Mr. Green Learns to Climb

Here's why we're putting up the puppy pen around the whelping box as soon as possible (keep your eyes on Mr. Green at the top right of the box to start):




This is the first time we've seen one of the pups actually climb out of the whelping box. And Mr. Green, who seems to be our first to try and do everything, is the escape artist this time (thankfully DH was sitting right there to catch him).

Granted, when I took this video the pups were desperate to get to Elsie (just outside the box on right), so they were naturally eager to do anything to reach her, but soon enough anything outside the box will be just as enticing as Momma-Elsie-the-Milk-Machine (well, only nearly as enticing, but sufficient enough to woo them out of the box).

So it's rearrange-the-kitchen-time again at our house. We figured out a set-up last year that includes both the whelping box and a pen-enclosed area around the whelping box that also functions well for us humans, too. So we'll give that a go, then watch how this litter responds over the next two weeks.

An enclosed area outside the whelping box, beyond a fun place for the pupsters to explore, allows them to start moving elsewhere to pee and poo (taking advantage of their natural instinct not to eliminate in their sleeping area). It's their first step toward housebreaking.

It's amazing how much these little ones have changed, grown, and learned in just 16 days. Wow! Even though I knew (and know) what to expect, the reality amazes me every time. What a miracle life and development really are!

'Til next time,
Joan